Category: festival

This is not a sponsored or partner post (not that I’m not into that, wink). This is just a recap of an experience.

Sorry in advance for the photo quality. These are mostly snaps that I saved in the moment. I was way too jazzed to get perfectly framed shots. #shrugemoji

Now that we’ve done that… OH. EM. GEE. you guys. The Tiny House & Simple Living Jamboree was so much fun! I really loved being around so many like-minded people, and everyone we talked to was really helpful and encouraging.

We went for most of the day Sunday, and in hindsight, we should have done a full three day pass. We didn’t really get the opportunity to sit in on any of the programs, which I know would have been really insightful and inspiring for us. But, we still got to tour all kinds of Skoolies, Tiny Houses, and Vans, and got some great advice from some truly amazing people.

I think what I love most about this Tiny Living community is the enthusiasm and willingness to give advice. Not only are people happy to talk about their journey, they’re eager to hear about ours, and ready to uplift us and cheer us on. For every time I’ve uttered “we’re not totally sure what we’re doing”, I’ve been met with “you’ll get there”, or “you can do it”. I am immeasurably grateful for this positive and helpful wanderer tribe to which we now belong!

Here are some shots I took of the event, and links where you can follow the fine folks behind these incredible dwellings! I wish I had taken more, but I’m still not so used to the idea of folks being eager for you to share pics of their homes on social media.

Okay, first off, they gave me a badge, which made me feel so official (even though everyone got one)!

Also, if you follow us on insta, you’ll know we made shirts. Arnavick did a Stranger Things theme and I did a more linear, color-blocked design.

We got to see this little cutie by Happier Camper – super cute and great for small toy hauling. I, of course, loved all the color selections they offered.

Our first tour was of The Creative Animal Tour Tiny House, which was awesome! You may recognize them from HGTV’s Tiny House Big Living. We chatted with Steph a bit (who did the blueprints for the house) and she showed us some super cool features, like trap door storage in the “ceiling” under their loft bed.

This tiny house looked like it could maybe be a super nice deer lease, if you’re into that kind of thing. Love that galvanized corrugated metal throughout!

Check out the windows on this guy:

I was super impressed with this tiny house that had its very own spiral staircase and observation deck! The interior was pretty cute too.

This tiny house by Red Deer Classics has insane hand carving and delicate woodwork, and the copper had a sick patina! I didn’t get an exterior pic – but you can check it out on their insta!

We got to see this sweet little Airstream, and Airstreams always make us happy!

We bought a 2×4 from 2x4s for Hope and wrote a special message for veterans on it. This organization is amazing – they build tiny homes for homeless veterans. This was just their exhibit, obviously, not an actual tiny house! Check out their website (linked above) for more info or to donate!

Arnavick really liked the look of this butcher block countertop. We’re considering this look for our little kitchen in the trailer.

I really, really, realllly loves all of the skoolies! I’ve been following Nomadic Millers for a little bit now, and I was so jazzed to see their bus in person! I only got one picture of the outside, and they were busy tending to kiddos while we toured, so I didn’t get the chance to tell them in person how cool their bus is, but it’s beautifully outfitted. Check out their Instagram – THAT KITCHEN! Love.

I hadn’t come across Trebventure on insta, but I’m really glad to be following them now. Not only was their home jaw-droppingly cool (excuse me they have a SKYLIGHT over their SHOWER), they were so sweet and encouraging! One of the questions I asked (which I’m sure they get a lot) is whether it was difficult to raise their kids on the road, since ‘Vick and I have hopes to start a family in the next few years. Ashley’s response was that having kids is just hard in general, but their simple lifestyle makes it easy, and that we can totally do it. It is so reassuring to see people living the way we’ve been dreaming of. Our crazy camper scheme isn’t so crazy after all.

We got a kick out of the #tinyfirehouse! It has a fireman’s pole in it. It looks like a short slide down the pole but probably fun all the same.

I’ve also been following tiny house expedition for a while now. Sadly, I didn’t get to see the inside, but I was glad to see the outside of this happy little house in person! Their website has some really helpful info on tiny house living – check it out if you’re interested!

Lil Red was a lil cutie! 66 square feet – can you imagine?! I was super impressed by the functionality of this lil house. I wish I took inside pics!

Last but certainly not least – method to nomadness. Much love to Sheena, who did not kick me out of their house during my excessive fangirling over the HAMMOCK that they have attached to their house! Genius. Seriously amazing.

Not pictured but worthy of mention:

Kevin and Christy from lifetwogo are a couple of van lifers and were really lovely to talk to! They were so encouraging, and they noticed my Rosy shirt and let us gush for a solid five minutes. We loved looking at their map and hearing about their travels!

Samantha from GoneVananas answered a couple of pretty personal questions re: showering, and talked to us about composting toilets and poo for a good while – a true saint! It’s not every day you talk commodes with a complete stranger, but we are grateful for her tips!

We toured This Little Home Of Mine at Earth Day last year, at which point it was only a shell on top of a gooseneck trailer with wood walls and sharpie outlines of Brittnie’s layout. We were so pumped to see the interior now that she’s almost completely done! She was a total sweetheart, and we are super impressed with what she’s done with her place!

We had such an awesome time, and can’t wait for the next time we attend the Jamboree! Should be all shacked up in Rosy the Argosy by then!

If you’re from Texas (or are Texas Transplants like Arnavick and me), you know that the state fair is kind of a big deal. I am a huge fair and festival junkie, and the State Fair of Texas is the mother of all fairs ‘round these parts. From food that shouldn’t be fried but is, to carnival rides, to auto shows, to the Midway carnival games, to Fletcher’s corn dogs, to one very massive ferris wheel and of course, Big Tex, the State Fair of Texas has something for everyone.

Arnavick’s sisters were in town with their daughters and a friend this weekend, and we had so much fun roaming around Fair Park with them! And we even saw three Airstreams and a Shasta trailer! #camperfriends

We tried the fried frito pie bites and the fajita fries, and both were pretty good! We of course rode the ferris wheel (the Texas Star), and Arnavick rode a few rides with his niece and sister, for which I happily held purses and spectated. I’m not a carnival ride person – I’ve ridden enough roller coasters in my life, thankyouverymuch. We also went into the green house, which was surprisingly cool temperature wise and not surprisingly cool because of all the greenery. The weather was sunny and in the high eighties, which is pretty nice this time of year for Texas.

We also got to see the Redwood Log House, which is right up our alley, and gave our family a chance to see what size of house we’re going to be living in once Rosy the Argosy is done!

I didn’t get pics of everything, but here a a few highlights from the day:

Anyone else make it out to the fair in your state this year? What are some traditions that your state holds?

PS – if you haven’t had pineapple soft serve – stop what you’re doing and go get some! So good!